Raigeki
by Caelestis
Summary: In Hades, Shinigami once reigned. Cast out in a coupe by his best friend, Solo, the now mortal God of Death is caught up in the human's wars. But even that is insignificant to the danger now following the pilots... Yaoi 1+2
1. Chapter One

**Title:** Raigeki  
**Author:** Caelestis  
**Rating:** R  
**Fandom:** Gundam Wing  
**Warnings:** Poor Wuffie.... - What I put him through for fun....  
**Disclaimer:** Don' own em. WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

"Ittikimasu!" Duo called out cheerfully as he brought a pair of chopsticks laden with rice to his lips. A snort followed the declaration as his fellow pilot, Wufei, glared at him. In the small safe house there resided five Gundam pilots, each one with unique talents and abilities that had led them to become the backbone of the rebellion against the oppressing politicians of Earth.

It had all started with Operation: Meteor, the colonies of space each sending their own champion trained by special scientists. After landing separately on Earth, the pilots found each other by accident and after a bout of initial hostility, were now working together in an effort to end the war quickly. The opposing forces, however, were developing new weapons that were increasing in their deadly capacity and causing more trouble for the pilots.

Alternating between his rice and chicken, Duo chomped through his dinner with almost supernatural speed.

Wufei's right eye twitched.

"Have you no dignity?" He finally growled. "The noise you make when you eat is enough to make a grown man _vomit_!"

Duo grinned cheekily at him, several grains of rice plastered to his innocent heart-shaped face, his long, chestnut hair in slight disarray, hanging in its customary braid.

"Where's the fun in dignity, Wu-man?"

"Kisama..." Wufei leapt at him only to encounter thin air. Duo had leapt nimbly from harm's way, managing to polish off the remainder of his meal as he did, throwing the empty bowl in an impressive throw to land in the sink.

"You're getting sloppy, Wu-man!" He chortled as Wufei drew his kantana and cursed fluently in his native tongue. Laughing until he was left gasping for breath, he proceeded to lead the justice-ranting warrior on a merry chase through the confines of their latest safe house.

Panting heavily, Duo finally ran up the stairs leading to the attic and hid behind an old cloth-covered crate; Wufei was hot on his tail, leaving behind him a string of maledictions that would have brought down a seasoned diplomat. Spying an open window in front of him, he summarized that Duo had tried to escape from him on the roof.

"Your plan won't work, Maxwell!" He jumped out the window in what he thought to be the pursuit of his tormentor. Leaping from his hiding place, Duo cackled as he slammed the window down and turned the lock. His evil laughter carried him down the stairs where he locked the door to the attic as an after-thought.

One more mornings mission... Completed.

Duo had deemed himself the burr in Wufei's ass, the curdled milk in his fridge, the one major badass pain in his life. So far his plan was working. Too bad he and Heero had a mission today; he wanted to play with his Wuffi-bear a little longer.

Pouting, he entered Heero's small bedroom, the walls and single bed covered in corresponding faded colors of blue and green. The aforementioned pilot was busy hacking into who knows what on his laptop.

"Oi... Heero..." He spun an empty chair around and sat down on it backwards, his thick braid swaying gently behind him. "Are you almost done?"

The self-proclaimed Shinigami was impatient. He wanted to get back to annoying Wu-butt as soon as possible. Wu-butt... he grinned to himself as he thought about the black haired pilots reaction when he heard his new nickname. It had promising possibilities...

"Duo." Monotone. "We will leave shortly." Hey, at least he acknowledged his presence this time. Duo rolled his eyes. Short clipped sentences... Heero was every bit the perfect soldier he was trained to become. Dressed in his customary green tank top and black spandex shorts, one had to wonder if he even _owned_ another outfit... or even one the least dissimilar. His own outfit was far more appropriate for the battlefield, a priest's habit in stark shades of black and white. He even had the little white collar... as if he _could _offer atonement for the men that he killed. He sighed to himself. He thoughts were starting to become morbid, something he couldn't afford. Shaking himself mentally, he though about the next joke he could pull on Wu-bear.

"Come on, Heero! I wanna go!" He whined. Yes his life was perfect... annoying Wu-bear, piloting Deathscythe, actively fighting in a war, and then on top of it all getting to see Heero everyday... Eh? He blinked in confusion. Where had that last thought come from? Weird...

"Maxwell!! Shiseiji-yaro, when I find you..." An angry bellow filled the hallway out side of the room. Duo paled slightly. Oops... sounded like his prey had managed to escape his trap...

"Well then, I'll just meet you at Deathscythe. See ya!" With a salutary grin, Duo stood smoothly and crossed the room to stand before its only window. Another flick of his wrist opened it and seconds later he was shimmying down the trail of ivy that had grown up underneath it just as Wufei kicked in Heero's door. Shouts sounded as Wufei now had to deal with a pissed off Perfect Soldier. Certain death... avoided.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he stalked the distance to the hanger where the Gundams were hidden. There was something the other pilots didn't know that was weighing heavily on his mind, something that might effect or even compromise their missions. Before he had gotten to know them when he was working as a solo agent, he didn't really care if they knew or not, but now the four other pilots were like family to him, and it hurt to keep something this important a secret.

Turning a corner, the clearing came into sight. He didn't like discussing his upbringing... although he had seen worse. He had grown up as an orphan on Colony L2, but nothing from that short span of time compared to what had led to his banishment from Hades. Yes, he was _the_ Shinigami... or rather, he _had_ been the Shinigami, for over five thousand years. He frowned. There had been an uprising amongst his subordinates seventeen years ago, human time, even though he had been the fairest ruler in Hades history. Some beings only craved power, he reasoned, no matter the price.

He sighed again, as he climbed up Deathscythe, his Gundam, and removed the camouflage covering the outer surface. Slipping into the cockpit, he started the system checks, flipping various switches. He wasn't as irresponsible as the others thought. In fact, he almost never forgot _anything_. Which was also why he couldn't figure out _why_ Solo had betrayed him; there simply hadn't been anything to motivate him to do what he did... he hadn't been the power hungry type, and he had known him ever since he had been born. Solo had been his best friend before all of this had happened. Duo had been musing on this for the sixteen years of his exile and still the pieces didn't come together. What was he missing?

"Looking good there, old buddy. Are ya ready to fight? I know I am." Duo chattered to his machine, throwing his arms back above his head and relaxed as he waited for Heero so they could start their mission. At times, Deathscythe almost seemed to be alive. It was plausible that a spirit had chosen to inhabit the Gundam, but with the larger part of his powers sealed, there wasn't much he could do about it. Duo cursed the person who just _had_ to remember that minor detail.

He continued his one-sided conversation for several minutes before Heero arrived at the clearing. Duo finished the system's warm up, and keyed his engines, bringing them to life.

Without a word, Heero settled into the cockpit of his own Gundam, Wing, booting and checking every system with a ruthless efficiency that reflected his perfect soldier status.

"Oh yeah! Time to see some action!" Duo cackled, buckling the safety harness around his torso. Grasping his controls, he levered the Gundam into the air, carefully monitoring the fuel and acceleration switches. Everything was in order. He eased the acceleration throttle forward, and Deathscythe hurtled forward leaving behind it a wake of heated air.

Wing wasn't very far behind as Heero kept pace easily with the sinister Gundam known as Deathscythe. Duo's trajectory was swift, keeping them out of sight from the enemy while continuing to let them have the element of surprise as they headed for the co-ordinates Duo had been given. It came as no surprise to many that the pilot of Deathscythe was known as the most ruthless assassin active in the war effort.

"Heero, do you know what our mission parameters are?" Duo asked sheepishly, his face popping up on Heero's screen.

"Baka." Heero growled, still maintaining his monotone. "OZ has a new weapons source they recently acquired. We are to disable the majority of the weapons and bring one back for further study."

Duo whistled. "That's more than I've heard you say since I met ya..."

Heero turned a death glare on him that even through the remote communications shone its malevolence on the unlucky 02 pilot, retaining enough of its ferocity to make him uneasy. Duo gulped nervously. "Sorry man, I was just joking. Ya know, trying to lighten the mood."

"Hn."

"You are way too serious for your own good." Duo grumbled now that the 'danger' had passed. His console bleeped as three Leos were picked up on his radar. "Don't look now, but I think we've got company."

Deathscythe gave a burst of speed, hurtling towards the enemy's mobile suits. With his superior speed, Duo was able to take out the three without incident, both of the Gundams holding steady to their course nearing the object of their mission. As the weapons base came into range several hundred kilometers away, it appeared to the pilots as a large globe hovering over the mountains, small spires jutting from it's diameter; clouds partially obscured the smaller details.

"So, Heero... should I take point?" Duo asked conversationally as the rest of the enemy's defense came into play, releasing more of the smaller, less agile mobile suits into the air as a counter measure to the eminent attack. At Heero's confirmation, Duo took off whooping wildly. Slightly in front of Wing, he activated his laser cannons marking his targets in a flurry of golden fire. With a nod to Heero, he cut their communications, leading the Leos off of Heero's tail, giving him a clear path towards the base and interposed himself between the opposing force and Wing.

"You really shouldn't mess with Shinigami." He remarked casually, his laughter filled eyes taking on a dangerous gleam. He activated his thermal scythe, his Gundam holding it out in front much like a martial artist would hold a Bo. "And to get to Wing, you'll have to go through me."

They decided to take him up on his offer. Yup, life was good. Swinging the giant scythe in graceful arcs, he cut through the suits easily, cackling manically as the enemy sent wave after wave against him. Holding the new forces back was a breeze, albeit a timely one. Briefly he consulted his standard clock. Oh shit... Heero had been in there for almost four hours! He cursed himself for letting himself get carried away in the battle. Heero should have been done by now...

An explosion rocked the landscape, a small mushroom of smoke and fire marked its location near the base. Duo's grin dropped slightly as a chill ran down his spine. Something had gone wrong. That looked like Wing's... had something triggered its self-destruct mechanism? Turning around his Gundam and pushing it into high gear, he made a run towards the base, ignoring all but a few unlucky mobile suits that happened to cross his path. A small dot that had started in the distance turned into a swarm of smaller dots as he drew closer. To Duo's heightened sight, the dots were revealed to be mobile dolls as they rapidly moved towards him.

"Shit." He groaned as his speed increased to a fraction over the limits of the man-made machinery. This reeked of a setup... in which case Heero was in real trouble. A blast rocked him from behind as a doll scored a lucky shot. This wasn't looking good. He tried to bring up Heero on the radio. "Heero! Answer me!"

Opening a channel proved to be futile but he continued to try even as he dodged bullets, drawing closer to the base with every second. "Heero!" The bad feeling he had continued to grow in his gut, festering with each passing moment that went by. A light blinked on his console signaling an incoming communication.

"Heero?" Duo answered hopefully; maybe he had over reacted...

"Pilot 02, surrender. Pilot 01 is in our custody. If you refuse to co-operate he will be terminated."

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him, chilling him to his core. Heero... Grinding his teeth together, he made up his mind. The mission came before anything else - Heero would want him to withdraw. Before he would have sacrificed Heero without a second thought. Now, however, he couldn't bring himself to be the one responsible for his death. When had that happened? When had he started to care about him so much?

"I surrender." His voice was bleak. He _couldn't_ let Heero die; he'd find a way to rescue him somehow. They would take him inside the base if he surrendered and from there he would be free to locate Heero. Deathscythe old buddy, I'm sorry...

"A wise decision." The profile of the un-named man turned to a fellow officer. "Bring 01 to the laboratory. When you retrieve 02, bring him there as well."

Duo blinked. Laboratory? They were taking _his _Heero to a laboratory? Laboratories were where they performed experiments...

A rain of bullets bounced off his armor as the dolls converged on him, disobeying the commands of their leader. Desperate now, he went through his options. Eventually they would manage to damage Deathscythe, and he couldn't continue to battle for much longer and still return to the safe house; his stores of energy were running low. Desperation started to fill his soul, overwhelming his psyche. He would never see Heero again... abruptly his power fueled by that desperation, the power that he had thought to be sealed off, flared, creating a chink in the once impenetrable chain that had encircled the part of his mind that had controlled it. Surprised, Duo started, and yanked back on the stick that controlled Deathscythe's movement, sending the machine and its passenger into a nosedive.

He quickly regained control of the massive machine, and leveled of their flight. This unexpected occurrence brought new possibilities... Duo was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was only going to get once chance at this; what he had planned was going to be very tricky. Setting Deathscythe on autopilot, he keyed the hatch and with a quick prayer, jumped out into the air.

"Come on..." He muttered, folding his arms to his chest as he fell towards the ground. Reaching into a part of him that he had believed lost forever; he staked his very existence on this venture, trying to grasp at the thin straws that would allow him to survive this. He had to succeed! A searing pain ripped through his back as new bones exploded out of his back to form the outline of wings, muscles reforming themselves over new bone growth, and leathery dark skin growing rapidly to cover the new appendages. Yes!

Exuberant over his success, he ignored the searing pain that shot through his body as his wings caught the wind, their untried muscles straining as his body was drawn upwards into a warm air current.

Biting his lower lip until blood dripped from it, he glanced around hurriedly before darting out of sight in the shadow of the OZ base. Deathscythe was fading rapidly into the distance, the mobile suits abandoning their pursuit after an hour of futile chasing. Clinging to the side of the metal base, Duo made his way slowly to an airlock. It surprised him how easy it had been to break through the block that had been placed on his powers. He was grateful that he could finally access some of his former powers, even if it was just a small portion.

This mission was rapidly getting worse as it progressed.


	2. Chapter Two

**Title:** Raigeki  
**Author:** Caelestis  
**Rating:** R  
**Fandom:** Gundam Wing  
**Warnings:** Ahhhhhhhhhh!! Oh my god, what have I done to my poor, poor Heero? WAHHHHHH!!!!!  
**Disclaimer:** Don' own em. pouts

Pulling out his gun, Duo slid into the airlock, folding his newly acquired, slim black wings close to his back. The security of the base wasn't as tight as he had been expecting, he had been able to open the doors with a simple cross wiring. Duo's mind was focused on only one thing: finding Heero and making sure he didn't die. Running through the winding mess of corridors, it was easy to lose his bearings, so he ran what information he had through his mind again.

Heero would be in a holding cell right now, unless they had taken him to the lab while he had been waiting for them to grow complacent. Duo growled audibly at the thought. How dare they take what was his! His? Duo skidded to a halt in confusion as he also heard footfalls echoing further up the passageway. Spying a door, he jimmied the lock and slipped inside, pressing himself up against the wall to listen for further movements. It also gave him a minute to examine his feelings.

He was starting to act possessive of Heero... and when he thought of him lately his stomach flip-flopped nervously. Violet eyes widened marginally as he realized... he was developing a crush on Heero... his very _male_ best friend. Not that _he_ had any problems with the concept, but Heero was a mortal after all. Their ideas of right and wrong were significantly different than Duo's. He shook his head in confusion. It was impossible... Shinigami did not love! Lust maybe... but there was no denying how his heart lurched when he thought of actually having to live without him. Duo banged his head against the wall a few times, berating himself under his breath about his obvious lack of sanity.

Great. Just... Peachy. Having an emotional breakdown in the middle of an enemy base, how brilliant could he be? Now was not the time for this, he'd have to face it later. Unknown to him, Duo's ears had slightly elongated when he had grown his wings after accessing his power, tapering to Elvin points; now he truly looked fey. The deep amethyst of his eyes glittered brightly in the psudo-lighting.

Footsteps sounded outside the door as a man stopped in front of the room; it could only be that with the heavy, labored breathing and thick masculine odor that was obvious to his heightened senses of smell. How hard would it be if he had a hostage? Go in and grab Heero, duck out, kill hostage. He didn't even have to wait for his Gundam! He could fly them both to safety now... or at least he kept telling himself that. The doorknob tightened as the person inserted a key, unlocking the door, pausing as he saw the slight marks Duo had made when he had picked the lock. He stepped into the room and moved to switch on the light.

Duo didn't wait any longer, fluidly moving behind the man and pressing one of his guns that he always carried with him into his ribcage. "Don't make a sound." He hissed.

"I'd say the same to you, 02, but it seems our situations are reversed." Duo's eyes widened.

"Doctor J?"

The ugly man just smirked at the obvious tone of confliction in his voice.

"What are you doing here?" Duo asked quietly, keeping pressure on his firearm.

"They are keeping me here to design them new weapons. Although for some odd reason, they keep threatening to kill me." He sighed dramatically, as if he could act his way through this situation.

"Where are they keeping Heero?" Duo growled. He didn't like this man nor trust him, something remote in his nature reminded him of a snake... plus he could clearly smell the deceit that was coloring his sweat.

"As far as I was told, he was taken to the lab over thirty minutes ago, and they are 'working' on him now, so to speak. They seem to want their own Gundam pilot at their disposal, so I suppose they are trying to break him. I do hope my training holds up, they have some ingenious torturing methods here."

"Take me do him." Duo commanded roughly, his wings twitching slightly against his back. His shirt hadn't been torn completely when he had grown his wings, and he had folded his wings against the smooth skin of his exposed back, making it appear to the bystander that he had a living black cape. J hadn't turned around, and was as yet unaware of what he was dealing with... a pissed off God of Death.

"Very well. Follow me."

As they were about to walk out of the room, Duo shoved him up against the wall again, pinning him so that he couldn't move. "If anything has happened to Heero, I'll hold _you_ responsible. And if you betray me I will make sure that after you die, you will _never_ rest." The last word was a hissed sibilant. The tone of his voice was rich with death, and unknown to him his eyes glowed briefly, illuminating the darkness of the room slightly with a violet unknown to the human spectrum.

Doctor J paled slightly. He had been unwilling to believe the reports, but it was obvious that 02 had finally gone over the edge and was no longer help back by any notions such as remorse. It had been said that he had taken to calling himself, "Shinigami", a disregard in the eyes of those that followed tradition, a transgression that the gods would surely punish. And now he had the proof of those statements standing behind him. It had been vary unwise to antagonize this unstable youth, and now he regretted in previous actions.

Duo shoved the good doctor towards the door, his intentions clear. Stumbling in his haste to escape the company of this madman, Doctor J let Duo down a maze of halls to a section of the ship that had been lined with white tile. Sliding white doors marked several sterile rooms, other doctors and scientists milling about in each.

"H-here. Heero is in there." He pointed to an unmarked door to their right.

"Open it."

Doctor J did so, shaking as his hands typed in the password on the small keypad next to the door. He turned back towards Duo, and for the first time saw the visage of his captor. His eyes widened comically as he took in the folded wings that swept the floor behind him, the pupils dilating in fright as a sharp fang caught the light when Duo sneered at him. Duo's torn clothing only accentuated his dangerous appearance, and his eyes glowed with malevolence. In human eyes, he could only be classified as demonic.

A muffled thud sounded as the good doctor hit the floor, eyes rolling back in his head as his body shut down from the shock of what he had just seen.

Grinning to himself at the foolishness of humans, Duo advanced towards the open doors... and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what lay within the sterile room. Heero had been strapped to a steel table in the center of the room with his hands bound above his head and his feet to either side of the table. A man in a white suit and mask was hovering over him, tracing his skin with a scalpel and removing the strips of skin and tissue that was left in the instrument's wake. Already half of Heero's natural body covering had been removed to reveal the muscle beneath it.

To the untrained eye, Heero was as impassive as he usually was, not even blinking an eyelash as more skin was peeled away to reveal raw muscle and blood welled to the surface. To Duo, on the other hand, who had spent time getting to know him, his face was a mask of pain. A one-way mirror had been set up to cover the entire wall to Duo's right, and the wall spanned at least fifteen feet. To Duo's demonic eyesight, he could tell there were men on the other side, about five to be exact, all men of rank. His lips curled back in disgust as he heard one of the men laugh... _laugh_ when Heero's face tightened slightly from the agony of the torture he was going through.

That was enough. Duo's anger had matured into hatred for Heero's tormentors, and steeling himself, he strode forcefully into the room.

Laughter ceased as Duo felt the attentions of everyone living turn towards him. He drew what he could of his power around him, and sneered maliciously at the doctors who were defiling _his_ Heero.

"What's this? Someone's having a party and they forgot to invite me?" His voice had lowered, the deep tones sending chills down the bravest of the men's spines. They spoke of the dark, the underworld, richly filled with demonic undertones. He moved towards the center of the room, gliding noiselessly over the bloodstained tiles so effortlessly that he appeared to float.

Running a finger down Heero's unresponsive face, it came away bloody. He brought it to his lips, running his tongue over the tip and sucking it clean. "Someone here has been naughty." He remarked, throwing a glance to the glass wall, to the men to whom he was talking. Shadows grew within the room, slowly blotting out the light as the dark rage filled him. These men were going to pay for this!

"Didn't your mothers ever tell you, it's not nice to play with someone else's toys without asking for permission first?" The contents of the room were petrified. Never had they seen something that so closely resembled their nightmares as this, this evil that was sitting gracefully, right next to the body of the pilot of Wing. And this creature was claiming him for his own? Waves of terror washed through the enclosed space as the men behind the mirror were startled out of their trance and began shouting orders that would fall on deaf ears. Duo's eyes had resumed their eerie glow; he turned his head again towards the men who thought themselves unseen.

Setting free another fraction of the power he could grasp, a cold purple fire swept up the glass, freezing what it fed from instead of burning it. The glass cracked, then shattered into a million fragments that seemed to be drawn towards the men who still held the scalpels. Frost rimmed the walls of the rooms now, a fog building up to cover the floor. Several of the men and women who were in the room were now screaming in terror and crying out to whatever god that they believed in, but it all fell on deaf ears. No deities would be coming to their rescue; they had turned their backs on humankind long ago.

"Do you think you could help me with a little problem I have?" Duo's voice turned silky as he addressed the General in charge of Heero's torture, the one who had laughed at him but scarce minutes ago. "Tell me, how could you find pleasure in something so perverted as this? I find it very hard to understand."

Heero's eyes were closed, his body starting to shut down with the loss of blood. Duo's eyes narrowed. He'd have to make this quick. Or then again... there were other options. Walking over to the pasty General he knelt by his sweating body.

"It's been a while since I've had the chance to use something like this. You should be honored."

The General's heartbeat tripled as fear spiked through his veins, the pallor of his face beaded with sweat. "Wh- what are y-you going to d-d-do," he stuttered.

Duo leaned closer to him and whispered in a mock-lovingly manner in his ear. "Now that's... a secret." Tracing a finger down the man's cheek, the very one that had touched Heero's blood before, Duo drew a complex rune over the man's face, and quietly said the words to activate his spell.

"From the blood of your victim you are cursed. Forever shall you relive the pain of your victims, to the day of your death and beyond."

The man screamed as his pupils dilated, already drawn into the nightmares that would forever haunt his dreams both awake and asleep for the crimes he had committed. Duo hardened his heart to his screams; he knew how many innocent deaths this man had on his hands. It was justice that he in turn be repaid for what he had done. Heero was still strapped to the table.

Duo made his way through the cowering doctors to undo his friend's bindings, cradling him gently in his arms after covering him with a sheet. God... they really did a number on him.

Walking to the door he had come in from, he paused briefly before addressing his captive audience. "Even though you were only following orders, what you did is not pardonable. You will all take your own lives with the tools you have used for evil before this night ends." His voice was cool and carried a trace of pain for the lives that would be lost.

"Shinee."

Sealing their fate, he faded from their sight without further sound, the darkness swallowing his form as the frosty mist swirled among the few still living humans that had dared to mark Shinigami's possession.

"Don't worry, Heero. You're safe now." Duo whispered softly towards the sleeping boy, stroking his cheek. His head rested softly against the white pillow, his messy brown hair so softly spread around his face that it gave him an angelic appearance. It had been a long flight from the base to the safe house, but Duo had made it. The window of the room was open, allowing a faint breeze to caress the silken tresses of the hero's protector.

Already Heero's skin had begun to heal; where it had been removed the blood had congealed forming a protective covering so new skin could be formed. Heero's regenerative system was rapidly accelerated, Duo mused, ever the analytical assassin. It must have something to do with his genetic make-up. What had Doctor J done to him?

Watching the dawn light creep over the horizon, Duo let a small sigh loose. He had a portion of his powers back now, only about one tenth of his former, but it was a start. It was enough to save Heero, and for that he would not complain. He had found he could not retract his wings, or change his appearance again, so he would have to take extra measures to ensure his secret wasn't found out. If Solo were able to find him, everything he held dear would suffer. What had happened to turn his dear brother into such a monster?

A small stirring from the bed alerted him to his patient's awareness.

"Duo?" Heero's cracked voice sounded strained. Duo leapt up, running to get him a glass of water. Helping him sit up, he held the glass to his lips as he took several small sips. Once he was finished, he lowered him gently back to the bed.

"You should have left me. You endangered the mission."

"Screw the mission!" Duo snarled. Heero blinked in mild surprise. "It was Doctor J who set up everything! It was a trap, Heero!"

"Why?"

Duo sat down heavily on the chair next to the bed, careful to mind his new appendages. "I don't get that yet. I don't get a lot of things."

"Duo."

The pain filled violet eyes of the one boy captured the cobalt blue of the other, drawing from them strength. The sun had just slithered over the trees, and the warm golden rays filled the room, framing Duo's face and sending gold highlights skittering through his hair that he had left unbound from it's braid. It fell gently around in form in soft waves. His fey-like ears were now visible, as were his black wings, their leather like surface gleaming under the warmth they hadn't ever seen.

An indrawn breath of surprise was all Heero could manage at the sight before him as he started coughing, breaking the moment. "Heero, are you alright?"

The gorgeous Amethyst eyes were now tinged with worry along with the pain, the combination making them seem even more ethereal.

"Aa. Why did you save me?" The question was not unexpected, but all the same, it hit Duo like a ton of bricks.

"What-"

"You heard me. You must have had some reason to."

Duo flushed slightly, and turned his face downwards. "There wasn't any reason... I just couldn't bear see you die."

Good? Bad? Poor Heero? Review! Chocolate.... O.o;; 


	3. Chapter Three

Title: Raigeki  
  
Author: Caelestis  
  
Rating: R  
  
Fandom: Gundam Wing  
  
Warnings: Oooooo warnings! Well. yaoi for one. That means male/male for all of ya who haven't heard of the term. That's about it for this chapter. in future chapters, however. *grins*  
  
Disclaimer: Don' own em. WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
The teakettle whistled, the stream of steam signaling to the impromptu cook that it's contents had heated. Duo scrambled over what he was already doing in an effort to turn it off before it woke the sleeping pilot upstairs, spilling several of the ingredients he had used to make the pancakes in the process.  
  
"Dammit!" He agonized clutching his head. Whoever said this was easy should die! Oh wait. that had been Quatre. dang, couldn't kill him. Pouting, he arranged the dishes the food was resting on, on a tray, trudging up the stairs towards Heero's bedroom. The only upside to this was that the other pilots weren't occupying the house at the moment; they had been called away on separate missions. And, after the disaster at the OZ base a week ago, the other Doctors in charge of operation meteor had ordered Heero and Duo to remain at the current safe house until they were fully recovered and sent the other three pilots on their own, separate missions.  
  
From their reaction, Duo assumed that they were unaware of the extent of Heero's healing factor, raising more questions in his mind. Was it a recent development then, or a modification that went out of control? Duo sighed. Prying the information out of Heero would be like trying to tell him not to self-destruct, virtually impossible. And he had self-destructed a countless number of times, not that it mattered. He couldn't do anything anyway until he rebuilt Wing.  
  
Toeing the door open, he squeezed into the room with a bounce in his step and a silly grin starting to spread across his face. Waiting on Heero: one of the high-points in his day. And said pilot was... not in bed and currently hacking on his laptop.  
  
"He-chan!" Duo whined, his violet eyes brimming with unshed tears. Heero sighed, reluctantly shutting off his computer and moving towards the bed. The first time Duo had called the pilot of wing 'He-chan', you couldn't tell the difference between him and a beet, which of course, suggested that Duo might actually have a chance of garnering his affections.  
  
"I do not know why you persist in mothering me. I am almost fully recovered and I do not need this treatment." Heero remarked practically as he climbed under the covers, allowing Duo to place the breakfast tray on his lap.  
  
"Please, Heero, humor me? I made you breakfast and everything!" Sparkling chibi eyes won the day again as Heero wilted under their pressure. He began to eat, and Duo sat down on a nearby chair, watching him with a smile. He unfurled his folded wings for a moment as he stretched out a cramp that had just seized one. They had reached an understanding about Duo's former status after the first few hours of questioning, Heero not commenting on it after the initial night when Duo had explained the basic of his powers, not his origin, and Duo not offering any more details on the matter. Thankfully, now that the other pilots were gone, he no longer had to disguise his wings under bulky clothing. It had been getting very tiresome to have his wings trapped under cloth, his feelings nearing that of the claustrophobic. Plus, his muscles had cramped more severely when they were pressed tightly against his back than when they were merely folded.  
  
Duo rested his head on his hands. His feelings towards Heero hadn't changed either since that night, but he was still uncomfortable about letting Heero know how he felt. The subject was not open for discussion, his feelings just too new to handle the inevitable rejection that he knew he would receive from Heero, a very human-like reaction for the former God of Death. And Heero. was now glaring at him? He blinked. What had he done now?  
  
Heero's glare was accusatory as he stared at Duo. It was disconcerting.  
  
"What the hell did you do to these pancakes?"  
  
The what? Oh. OH!  
  
"Gomen. I forgot to add the sugar." Duo laughed, blushing lightly while throwing a hand behind his head as Heero scowled at his foul-tasting breakfast.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Later that same day, Heero was once again typing at his laptop, re- configuring the defensive programming for his new Gundam since Duo wouldn't let him out of bed, while said Duo worked on his own Gundam's defensive systems outside. Heero's old system had too many glitches, and the performance had been slipping further every time that he took Wing into combat situations. If a glitch came up like it had last time, he doubted that he even had a chance to survive again. Thank god that Duo had been there to save him last time.  
  
In the three weeks that had passed since the day he had been captured, he had received several e-mails from Doctor J, one the day after his imprisonment, cautioning him to be wary of what Duo might say or do and informing him of the progress on the construction of a new Gundam for him. It was suspicious that J knew that he needed another Gundam when he hadn't said anything to him about it; Heero wasn't going to take anything else he said at face value. Also the fact that he had cautioned him not to listen to what Duo told him confirmed that he probably did have something to do with his capture, and gave credence to Duo's story.  
  
Running a hand over his now unbroken skin, Heero pushed the laptop away from him as he put it on standby. Duo. He was a source of mystery to him, and a very large part of that mystery being that of his physical appearance. What human could possibly have wings like he had? After Duo had shied away from the subject when Heero had first brought it up, Heero hadn't said anything more about it. But with his questions unanswered, Heero's interest in him continued to grow. It wasn't like him to act this way! His analytical side screamed at him as he pursed his lips, trying to rationally find an explanation for what had happened and what was still happening. Perhaps he should ask Duo again. but for some reason, the thought of doing it just felt wrong.  
  
He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Emotions were confusing things.  
  
The screen of his laptop switched abruptly back from the standby mode as the program registered an incoming call. An accept button flashed briefly on the screen before Heero acknowledged it and Doctor J's face replaced the regular screen in a teleconference call.  
  
"Heero my boy, how are you holding up? You're looking better than before. Are you ready for another mission?"  
  
Heero kept his face impassive as he stared at the immobile screen. "Hn."  
  
"Ah yes. well then. Here is the information that you'll need to complete the next assignment. The new Gundam is in its final stages, and should be ready by the end of this mission. Good luck." The window where the doctor had been talking fazed out and another popped up with the next mission's parameters. Glancing and absorbing the information in an instant, Heero almost groaned. and he probably would have if he had been anyone else. After a second or two to decide, he pushed the 'accept' tab at the bottom of the window. It was a mission, and therefore it had to be done.  
  
"Mission, accepted." He muttered under his breath, then left to find Duo and explain. and try to explain to him what they had to do.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
His Gundam. was absolutely perfect! Duo grinned to himself as he finished installing the souped up stealth system on Deathscythe. The repairs he'd had to do thankfully weren't many, so he had been able to devote his time to. re-modeling certain components of the machine. While he had been working on Deathscythe, he had allowed his senses to search the metal to try and see if there actually was something supernatural inhabiting his machine. Conclusion: there was. He wasn't able to pinpoint it, but there was a certain presence that he could feel when he was around the Gundam.  
  
The weird stuff always seemed to happen to him. He sighed, twisting a bolt a little tighter in the right arm of Deathscythe. It used to be fun, like one thousand years ago, but now. it was just annoying. He supposed that he should look on the bright side: at least it wasn't a demon on a mission to kill him! Turning his head as he caught a glimpse of movement on the edge of the clearing, he saw Heero stepping from the bushes, storm clouds covering his face.  
  
"He-chan! What brings you out here?" Duo grinned cheekily.  
  
"We have a mission."  
  
"WHAT?" Duo blinked. The Doctors had told him to remain there until they had fully recovered, which should have been two more weeks. They shouldn't have any missions scheduled! Duo told him as much. Heero's eyes narrowed.  
  
"I just spoke with J and downloaded the mission's parameters. Duo. is there something you haven't been telling me?"  
  
Duo flushed slightly. Well. he had been, but it was for Heero's safety! Muttering under his breath, Duo spread his wings out with a snap and dove off the Gundam, flapping them several times to slow his momentum as he neared the ground and alighted softly next to Heero. There were a few things that he felt he should tell Heero. like the details of his capture and how exactly he had run into J. It was a good start though, that Heero trusted him more than J, even though he hadn't been totally honest with him. Right. Well, here goes nothing.  
  
Slinging his arm around Heero's shoulders, Duo started walking back towards the safe house. "He-chan. we do need to have a talk. And then we'll see about this mission that J gave you."  
  
The death glare that he received in return showed him just how much Heero had recovered.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Several hours later, two emotionally exhausted boys sat opposite each other on a large couch in the living room of the safe house. Duo had told Heero everything about the time of his capture, but had again omitted anything remotely relevant about his past life. Heero was still left with a lot of questions save one: he was positive that J wasn't to be trusted. He was sure that Duo was telling him the truth, even though he was sure that there was a lot that remained unsaid.  
  
Heero had also told Duo everything about the next mission, and showed him the hardcopy still in his inbox. Duo had reacted the same way that he had. with extreme annoyance bordering on mental breakdown. They were to attend a private boarding school that was near an OZ base, and obtain information on a student there that was rumored to be an OZ spy. Duo was livid.  
  
".And what do they expect us to do there? Sneak around without being spotted by hundreds of teenagers and incriminate a student! At the same time! Not to mention, having to take all those boring classes AGAIN-"  
  
Heero did groan this time. "It's worse than that."  
  
"What do you mean?" Duo stopped in the middle of his tirade, his heart skipping a beat before freezing, sensing the coming of a bad omen.  
  
"Don't you remember the name of. of Relena's school?" Heero blanched.  
  
"No. Oh no."  
  
Heero nodded mutely. Duo bit his lip as he banged his head against the desk, trying to make reality go away with the pain; his wings slumped in mute agony. "I can't fucking believe this."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Well, at lest we have a day to prepare for it, ne?" Duo brightened slightly, then grimaced. "Like a day is going to change anything."  
  
"It's for the good of the colonies, Duo. We have to accept this."  
  
"Fine. I understand. But if Relena starts screeching and hanging on you, I'm going to kill her."  
  
"Duo." Heero said warningly.  
  
"Ok, ok, I understand, but if she does start her antics again I swear. I'm going to go insane!" Duo groaned. This was going to be worse than hell. Correction. This WAS worse than hell. He knew; he'd been there  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Well. how do you think that this story is coming along? Like it? Well, leave some feedback so this poor author can be inspired into writing another part! Next time, the horror! Duo and Heero go to Relena's school? Will Duo finally admit to Heero his feelings?  
  
Caelestis 


	4. Chapter Four

**Title:** Raigeki  
**Author:** Caelestis  
**Rating:** R  
**Fandom:** Gundam Wing  
**Warnings:** Yeah… I hate these things. I keep running out of things to say! Oh well, not too much yaoi in this chapter, though you may see a lot more in the revision. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you like this coming chapter. Have fun!  
**Disclaimer:** Don' own em. WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

* * * * * * *

The bells of the school chimed for homeroom as the two erstwhile Gundam pilots took their seats. The taller had brilliant cobalt almond shaped eyes and a short shock of dark, messy brown hair that was accentuated by his deep golden skin tone. The other was shorter only by a slim margin, his violet eyes and creamy complexion framed by a braid long, chestnut hair with shimmering highlights and bangs that covered just the tips of his ears. Both were dressed in the official uniform of the school, white dress pants and a deep navy colored jacket, although of the violet eyed youth it looked a little bulkier than usual. The girls and even some of the males of the school were already drooling over them, many with stars in their eyes.

Another thing that was identical about them was the twin expressions of misery on their faces as they saw a familiar figure that could define what the color 'pink' meant. She was dressed from head to toe in the awful pink uniform that the girls in the school _had_ to wear, a fate that Duo considered to be worse than death.

"Heero!" Her screech echoed through the small room, turning the heads of the other students in her direction. The object of her own attention winced, and caught himself before he ran around frenetically looking for a rock big enough to crawl under. 

"Relena." The name was spoken in his usual clipped monotone.

"Oh, Heero, I'm so glad that you are attending my school again! Just think of all the great times we are going to have!" She sighed, dreamily, leaning against his desk. Fortunately for him, a teacher came in and called for silence before introducing herself.

"Class, it is my privilege to introduce myself to you today, as this day is my first teaching at this school. My name is Gretchen Berberich, and I will be your homeroom and math teacher for the rest of the school year."

The class murmured a welcome as the teacher led them through a brief prayer for the day to go well. Duo yawned, bored, and threw a glance in Heero's direction to gauge his reaction to the teacher's entrance. If boring, the teacher had gotten Relena to sit at her own desk and away from his Heero, and was therefore okay in his book.

"We have two new students here with us today; they have just transferred from Japan! Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy, please stand so that the students can see who you are." She smiled stupidly at them. Duo was quickly re-evaluating his opinion of her. Just how many brain cells did she actually possess?

The two pilots stood briefly, Heero standing stiffly as was customary with a blank look of his face, and Duo with his hands thrown behind his head with a devilish look in his eyes. They sat down and waited for the signal that would allow them to be free of this torture.

The bell for first period rang and the class shuffled out into the hallways that were filled with their lockers. Duo sighed. School, again. The trite, banal behavior of the minions shipped off by their parents wore at his nerves, only to be beaten by the arrogant teachers that seemed to always find a way to make his like a living hell. His locker was squeaky too.

Suicide was beginning to look good… _really_ good.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, dweeb!" Duo looked up, startled as he felt a meaty hand grasp his collar. "Just because you're new doesn't mean you can bump into anyone you like!"

Duo just raised an eyebrow. "I think you're mistaken. If anyone here is bumping into people I would have to say it's you."

"I'm warning you…"

"Fine. I'll consider myself warned, but could you kindly release my shirt?" Duo sneered sarcastically, holding his book bag under one arm as the thug tried to get in his face. He would not allow himself to be threatened by some… _punk_ human. Casually shrugging out of the brute's hold he walked quickly to his next class, leaving the confused jock behind him.

Duo sighed as soon as he was out of sight. Geeze… his annoyed expression disappeared as he saw Heero ahead of him, going into the same classroom that he had to go to. Well duh… he mentally upbraided himself at his own stupidity. Of course they had the same classes… Clasping his books tightly, he sprinted to the doorway, through it, and caught up to his friend and fellow pilot.

"He-chan!" Duo grinned. "Oh man, I am _never_ gonna make it through the day, I'm telling you…"

He kept up a stream of mindless babble, taking a seat next to Heero, who was getting slightly pissed off, until the teacher arrived. He immediately took on the appearance of pure innocence and sat up straight in a mockery of rapt attention. Heero briefly rolled his eyes before focusing on the teacher as he began to teach the class of advanced literature.

"…Now the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, in addition to being the founder of modern technology, was also the author of several works of literature. Of course you know at the time, books were very dear, unlike today, where in addition to the synthetic paper used in your school book, we use computers to do a lot of the work…" He droned on for some time, longer than a period should be from Duo's point of view. Stifling a yawn, he felt his eyes growing heavy and before long was snoring with his head in his hands leaning on his desk.

The teacher noticed this before Heero could, and made his way over to Duo's seat, pausing where he was in his lesson.

"Mr. Maxwell." He snapped, slamming his textbook down next to Duo's head.

"Yes?" replied the pilot drowsily as he sat up, rubbing his eye slightly.

"Do you find my class so boring?"

Duo blinked slowly. "Well… yeah, kinda."

The teacher's face slowly turned a startling shade of red, before sneering at the hapless student. "Then why don't you kindly inform us all of the significance the Greeks' gods played on the world's history?"

Duo shifted slightly in his seat, and replied in an irritating manner, "Well… they were the basis of many myths over the ages, some carrying to the present like the mobile suits; machines that are based on gods such as Hercules-"

"Hercules was not a god, he was only a mortal with the strength of a god."

"No," Duo drawled slowly. "He was a god in his own right. Hera bestowed him godhood when he killed Zeus like she had asked him to do after Zeus betrayed his own family, bedding the queen of all monsters, Xenia."

The teacher looked mildly disgusted. "That just proves that you didn't study your history. Hera hated Hercules, and Hercules killed her after being provoked by Zeus. I don't know whom you mean by Xenia; there was no such person of that name in Mythology. Quite a good story though, if I'm to accept that _you_ came up with it."

Duo looked confused for a minute, then angry. Mortals could screw a lot of things up, but this… he had _been there_. And his memory was perfect. This teacher could use a new history lesson. He opened his mouth to tell him what he thought when a concussion struck the ground close to the building, sending a tremor through the ground and the people inside that were standing to their hands and knees. Looking around he leapt to his feet and raced outside. 

"What the hell?" Heero growled, jumping to his feet as soon as the shaking abated. The rest of the students and the teacher were cowering on the ground with their hands above their heads, many praying that this wasn't another Gundam attack.

Heero was without emotion as he scanned the area for Duo. He had been right next to him a moment ago, but had vanished in the time it took for Heero to blink his eyes. He had known that Duo had been withholding information, but if it was going to compromise their missions…

Another tremor shook the ground. Heero strode calmly to the windows of the classroom, unmindful of the bucking ground or the bodies of the students in his way. That was the source of the disturbance.

The view that was laid before Heero's eyes nearly shocked him to death. Duo had stripped his upper body bare, exposing his shimmering wings so that all could see. Fortunately for him, at that exact moment, a wave of an insubstantial fuchsia substance rolled over the high school and reduced everyone huddled on the ground into a comatose state.

Heero remained where he was, maybe due to his unusual genetic make-up or maybe something else that prevented him from succumbing to the mist, but whatever it was, he was still conscious enough to witness the tableau that was taking place before his very eyes.

The sky darkened, sending the shadows renewed fuel as they lengthened, several condensing into a spot before Duo before reforming into the scantily clad form of a woman. She was dressed in a black gauze-like tissue, several parts of it torn enough to see the tattooed milky white skin underneath. Her skin was mottled with purple teardrop shapes and her hair was pulled back into a severe bun.

Heero had never seen anything like this, and his training was begging him to write it off as some flashy special effects that were designed to immobilize the enemy with fear, but then… Duo shouted something at her, gesturing wildly with his hands in an angry manner. The woman looked shocked for a moment before taking a step back. Instead of retreating, however, she raised her hands above her body and drew them into a cross shape in front of her chest.

A blinding white ball of energy left her body and drawing a maelstrom of winds around it, rushed at the prone form of Duo.

Duo couldn't believe it when he first hit the turf outside. The energy signal was clear, the one who was making the commotion hadn't bothered to mask it's signature, leading Duo to believe that it hadn't expected anyone who would be able to identify it.

Ripping his jacket and shirt from his chest, he managed to expose his wings enough for him to be able to go into combat maneuvers if need be. Instead of shouting out his challenge to the empty sky, he merely focused his own energy enough to get the attacking person's attention. He wasn't disappointed when he saw the sky darken, or the woman form in front of him.

"Ah, Vashtai. I see that you are up to your old tricks." Duo sneered, drawing on the power he held to make his voice sound more sinister and threatening.

"L-lord Duo?" The scantily clad woman drew back a step in horror at the apparent apparition before her. "But… b-but how…"

"Please, spare me your hackneyed speeches. You, however, betrayed me to my brother… you who were my most trusted general. What brings you here now?" His voice was as smooth as silk, and as deadly as a scorpion as he wove a spell of uncertainty. His wings flexed slightly as his eyes narrowed at this upstart demon.

"My Lord, Solo, has ordered me to obey my young Lady."

"Lady?" Duo was confused, and accidentally allowed his confusion to play in his voice. That was enough to release the demon from his carefully woven thrall as she glanced to a point over Duo's head. She nodded and growled as she released an energy blast at the blurred form of the former Shinigami; Duo braced himself to receive the attack that was coming at him.

A frantic yell cut into both of the being's concentration as a figure interposed itself between Duo and the massive blast of destruction. Duo barely had time to yell as Heero was engulfed in the mass of violent power.

"HEERO!!!" The scream of agony tore through Duo's lips before he could stop himself. No… His heart felt like it was wrenched in two as the light obscured his vision.

***************

Gomen minna! Sorry it's taken me this long to update, but I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and know that I haven't abandoned my little story here… just put it on hold. ^__^ Reviews a really nice and I wouldn't mind a few, just to let me know how people like this. See ya'll in the next chapter!! Will Duo lose Heero before he's told him how he feels? 

Caelestis


	5. Chapter Five

Title: Raigeki  
  
Author: Caelestis  
  
Rating: R  
  
Fandom: Gundam Wing  
  
Warnings: Stupid people do stupid things; Duo and Heero make with the smoochies. Later.  
  
Disclaimer: *raises her eyebrow* If you think I own Gundam Wing, you must be even loopier than me. I congratulate you!  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
WARNING!!! TEASER!!!!!!  
  
"Heero!" Duo screamed as he saw the man he loved dive before him to take the brunt of the blast. Damn him and his senseless morals! Why did he have to try to save him? Tears sprang to his fey-like purple eyes before he had to close them from the bright light as the blast exploded. He threw a hand in front of his face as a shield from the debris that was flung in the wake of the explosion. No! Damn it! Damn Solo, damn the fucking job of Shinigami, damn.  
  
Duo's eyes widened, tears still falling fresh on his cheeks, as in the fading light he made out a dark silhouette hunched over in front on him. The body was tattered, weight unevenly distributed on his legs, clothing little more than rags, but he still stood defiant even after the onslaught. Messy brown hair whipped in the wind as determined cobalt eyes stared into the demon's own, a message in their depths: Heero Yuy was not going anywhere, and it was damn stupid to fuck with him. He straightened his shoulders, tightening his hands to form fists, one coming up to wipe a trickle of blood from his cheek.  
  
"I will not allow you to cause any harm to Duo." It was a statement. The boy before the demon showed no fear, or surprise, but a deadly air hung over the surroundings lending credence to his words. His words were true.  
  
"Heero!" Duo's shout was joyful now as a happy smile lit his face. He was still alive! Praise to all the gods, he was alive! He sprinted, closing the distance between them, only to have Heero shove him back behind him as he stared down his un-natural opponent. "Heero? What are you doing? Let me-"  
  
"Duo." Prussian depths spoke to his soul as no words could as the perfect soldier turned away from the enemy to reassure the demonic boy he cared for. Duo was left speechless, words dying before they had a chance to be spoken; the weight of the emotion behind Heero's gaze told the pilot of Deathscythe perhaps he had been wrong about the other's feelings towards him.  
  
"But." Duo's voice trailed off before he could launch even one protest as Heero turned back to face the demon, grim fortitude displayed upon his face. The demon was not behaving as a regular opponent should have in a similar combat situation, but it made no difference to her opponent: the Perfect Soldier. She had harmed something of his and she would pay.  
  
***  
Vashtai was choking. For the first time in her eternal life, she beheld a mortal that had stood up to her power. and remained alive. Nothing was going right: first her former lord and master shows up, one that she thought was dead, and then this handsome mortal boy had prevented her from carrying out her orders. by standing in front of an energy blast powerful enough to destroy even the vaunted Shinigami.  
  
Cold dignity surrounded the small figure standing on the beaten turf in front of her. His presence was an anomaly in her Master's perfect plan, and she was unable to deal with it. Perhaps a change of scenery would prove to benefit her.  
  
***  
  
A power was wakening in between the void of life, a power that had remained untapped since its creation. A power that would make the mightiest of the weapons created by the humans obsolete before it.  
  
***  
  
The school's grounds were completely torn up, as if a battle between Gundams had been fought there, gouges in the soil radiating from the one focal point where the blast had connected with Heero. Equipment that had been left out was bent and twisted; the two goals on the soccer field a twisted mass of metal girders. Bricks in the school's walls were cracked. Even from the distance the power had managed to damage the building.  
  
On the field the three figures stood still, muscles tensed and ready to spring, reminding Duo of an old western showdown and he but a grim spectator. Vashtai made the first move, her hand closing as she let loose a barrage of ancient spells, the spells themselves falling like a rain of green hail that Heero nimbly dodged. The pace increased as the two came together, Heero's fist connecting with the demon's face breaking her concentration and leaving an imprint. Heero's strength had increased again, Duo mused to himself as he tracked their movements. Physical attacks followed soon after as demon and mortal leapt at each other, snarling.  
  
Two spots of light appeared behind Heero's shoulder blades as his anger grew, elongating to form graceful wings of white energy that swept down his back, as sleek as a hawk. Nothing else changed in his physical appearance but his body took on a preternatural glow as he charged at his enemy one last time. Duo was left standing to the side as he beheld in awe the radical change sweeping through Heero's body as the soldier strove to protect him.  
  
Frantically, Vashtai tried to counter with a spell but was unsuccessful as Heero's glowing fist crushed her skull, severing her ties to that of the physical realm permanently as his power, unchecked, flowed into her, reducing her body to a pile of dust. Heero stood panting, dripping with sweat and blood as he fought to stand up.  
  
Duo rushed to his side, wrapping his arms around his torso to support him. The wings of light of his back flickered slowly before disappearing. Duo made a note to ask him later if he had known about this power. He had to have had some sort of angelic blood in him to be able to form those heavenly wings. "Heero. god. are you okay?"  
  
"Aa. Daijobu." Heero allowed Duo to help him as they walked back to the school. "What the hell was that?"  
  
"That was a demon." Duo stated tiredly. "Why didn't you let me handle it? I had everything under control."  
  
"I." Heero uncharacteristically trailed off without answering. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable with the subject, making Duo even more curious.  
  
"And what was that?" Might as well get it out of the way. 'Sooner was better than later' as they always say. "You were glowing, man."  
  
Heero sighed, leaning more heavily on Duo, breaking out of his mask of the perfect soldier. "Perhaps I haven't been totally honest with you."  
  
"Heh. Don't think that you're the only one." Duo sighed, hanging his head in shame. He suddenly turned a grin on his silent companion. "Maybe we should sit down and talk about this, ne?"  
  
"Aa." Heero smiled slightly back at the energetic American.  
  
The two Gundam pilots entered the school building: everyone inside was still asleep from the demon's spell so it was easy for the two to gather their things and leave, heading for the safe house they had been assigned. Thank any of the gods who were listening that they didn't have a dorm room this time. That would have been really uncomfortable explaining the mishap to the school's headmaster. Well, demon attack wasn't exactly on any insurance policy, Duo consoled himself. They arrived at the safe house around ten minutes from the school.  
  
END TEASER  
  
(A/N Oooo I'm evil...) :) 


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